Cultural District Designation

Application Process

Through the Cultural District Initiative, we offer support to municipalities looking to preserve and foster local cultural, community, and economic development. We welcome preliminary conversations with communities that are interested in gaining a Cultural District designation.

Además, usted también puede solicitar la traducción de los materiales de la aplicación y que estos se le sean enviados digitalmente. Este proceso tardará de 5 a 10 días hábiles.

Mass Cultural Council is happy to offer alternative formats, auxiliary aids, translation, interpretation, and other services necessary so that any individual can participate in Mass Cultural Council’s programs and services. Contact staff for help. To facilitate your request in a timely manner, please contact us at least three weeks before any Mass Cultural Council event or grant deadline.

How to Apply

 

Questions? Contact Timothea Pham or call (617) 858-2721.

Designation Guidelines

Current Cultural Districts have their own set of guidelines.

Program Overview

Cultural Districts are areas with a density of cultural facilities, activities, and assets. They are easy to navigate, compact places that act as hubs of cultural, artistic, and economic activity and provide a shared identity for community-based initiatives. As each District forms, it will reflect its community, therefore no two cultural districts will be alike.

The primary goals of the Cultural District Initiative, as described in the legislative statute, are to:

• Attract artists and cultural enterprises
• Encourage business and job development
• Establish the District as a tourist destination
• Preserve and reuse historic buildings
• Enhance property values
• Foster and preserve local cultural development

Eligibility for Designation

• The applicant must be a city or town of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
• The city or town must establish a Cultural District Partnership prior to applying for designation. The partnership will provide oversight and management of the district.
• The city or town must hold at least one community meeting. There must be adequate notice for public input and accessibility arrangements must be made.
• The city or town must provide formal municipal authorization committing to support a state-designated Cultural District. (See a resolution template.) This may be achieved through a municipal resolution, zoning ordinance, or general by-law. Municipalities may choose the approach that best fits their local structure and processes. The city or town must demonstrate a tangible investment in the Cultural District including but not limited to ONE of the following:
  • One-time or annual funding to the Cultural District or a District project
  • Compensation for the District manager
  • Significant in-kind support
  • Or other tangible investment

Investments will be reviewed in light of each community’s size, governance, and financial capacity.

The Cultural District Partnership must develop:

• Goals and objectives, described in a work plan
• A plan for managing the District
• Assessment measures for the District

The Cultural District must:

• Have a mappable footprint
• Be compact, easy to navigate, and accessible
• Have cultural facilities and assets
• Have a compensated District manager/staff person

More on these requirements:

Applicant
A municipal representative should be designated as the primary contact for the District and spearhead the application process. The city/town can invite a co-applicant to work on the application with them. A city or town may apply for more than one Cultural District designation. Each designation requires a separate application.

Mappable District
Districts can provide either a GIS map with boundaries and relevant assets, OR a parcel boundary map and a list of assets included in the proposed Cultural District that will inform the creation of a GIS map in the future. A template is provided by Mass Cultural Council in the application. See Frequently Asked Questions.

Paid District Staff
While we aim to keep this requirement flexible, the District must have a clearly identified person responsible for ongoing coordination. Time commitment and compensation can be determined locally (salary, hourly, stipend, honorarium, etc.) supported by any funding source (state, local, private, etc.).

Cultural District Partnership and Management
A municipality must form a Cultural District Partnership. The partnership must be a diverse mix of stakeholders who represent the shared interests of the District. The majority must be located within the District.

Organizations and individuals forming the partnership must include representatives of the following:

• City or town staff
• Local Cultural Council
• Cultural and/or arts organization(s)
• At least one artist who lives and/or works in the proposed district
• For-profit creative business (i.e. gallery, dance school)
• Chamber of Commerce or local business association/collective
• Economic/Community development or planning department

A city or town may elect to include additional entities. This will be dependent upon the available assets of the Cultural District, and may include representatives of the following:

• Local or regional tourism bureau
• Historic Preservation Commission
• Overlapping or aligning place-based district entity (i.e. BID, TDI District, Main Streets org., Historic District, TIF, etc.)
• Tribal government or other Tribal representation
• Leisure industry, including hotels and similar businesses
• Education institutions

While existing entities or individuals may fulfill more than one role, the partnership is strongly encouraged to identify distinct representatives wherever possible in order to demonstrate broad collaboration and shared community support.

This partnership is responsible for developing a plan for management of the District, which will be detailed in a Cultural District Partnership Agreement and District work plan. The plan must include agreed upon objectives such as roles, responsibilities, resources, sustainability plans, and ways to measure success and collect useful data. Success relates to the goals set out in the application for designation.

The partnership must provide collective support to the District on a regular basis, which may include attending meetings, contributing to planning and decision-making, and supporting implementation of District goals as appropriate to their role.

Third-Party Management Agreement

As the applicant, the city or town may give the day-to-day management responsibilities to a Cultural District partner. This third party will act as the city or town’s agent. The partner must be in good financial standing and have the capacity to lead the partnership. The city or town must remain involved in the partnership. A written agreement is necessary if the day-to-day management is given to a third party. The agreement between the city or town and the third party outlines the tasks and must include an exit plan for either party. Fiscal arrangements, reporting, and so on, must be included.

The agreement should be in line with local municipal regulations and should be reviewed by the city or town’s legal counsel before submitting an application for designation.

Community Input Meeting

Any city or town applying for a state-designated Cultural District must hold at least one publicly accessible community input meeting where people can learn about the proposed Cultural District location and goals.

Maintaining Designation

In lieu of a recertification/re-designation process, Cultural Districts will be assessed each year based on their annual report, to ensure continued compliance with the above program requirements and/or identify the need for additional support.

Failure to maintain compliance will result in a one-year probationary period to be followed by a formal assessment for compliance at the completion of that term.

Application Process

The Cultural District Initiative will begin accepting applications for new Districts on July 7, 2026.

Review process for prospective districts:

• Applicants submit a Letter of Intent (LOI). Download a sample LOI (PDF).
• Meeting with Mass Cultural Council staff and Cultural District Management Team.
• Applicants submit application by deadline.
• Applications reviewed by review committee, which includes key state agency partners. Using the following review criteria, they help identify the applications that are ready for designation and make recommendations.
• Formal team site visit/review, creation of site visit report.
• Mass Cultural staff and governing Council determine which applications to approve.

Review Criteria

Mass Cultural Council will determine how many Districts are accepted per year, based on capacity and budget.

1. Evidence that the proposed Cultural District includes:

• • A concentration of cultural assets, facilities, destinations, entrepreneurs, and businesses.
  • Boundaries that reflect a focus on the potential for inclusive economic impact that includes arts and culture and creative strategy.

2. Evidence that proposed Cultural District has:

• • Created a Cultural District Partnership that includes a diverse mix of stakeholders, to provide leadership, oversight, and collective support to the District on a regular basis ensuring its success and sustainability in support of state and local District goals.
  • Demonstrates that the creative community, public, and other stakeholders inside and outside the District have been engaged during the planning and designation process, and there is a clear plan for ongoing engagement to ensure diverse representation and equitable access to all.

3. The Cultural District is a PLACE, reflective of the city or town within which it resides. Therefore, Cultural Districts must demonstrate:

• • A strong commitment of sustained municipal support, demonstrated in ways that are meaningful and appropriate to the community’s capacity and structure.
  • Evidence of the integration of Cultural District goals and planning efforts into municipal work (such as municipal work plans, comprehensive planning, cultural planning, economic development, tourism strategies, investment and budgeting plans, and inclusion of Cultural District leadership on relevant committees, such as Community Preservation Committees, and in ad hoc planning initiatives, as applicable).

4. The District has a strong organizational structure, appropriate staffing, and a clear a financial plan in place to ensure long-term success and sustainability.
5. The work plan submitted successfully:

• • Presents a comprehensive cultural strategy that integrates tourism, arts, and community engagement.
  • Demonstrates alignment between the goals of the Cultural District and municipality as well as any relevant regional planning goals.
  • Identifies clear and measurable success metrics for each goal and provides a timeline for meeting specified goals.

Online Application

The online portion of the application is designed as a work plan.

REQUIRED DOCUMENTS
Use the following as a checklist:

• Letter of Endorsement from Chief Elected Official.
• Copy of Resolution from City Council / Board of Selectmen. The resolution is the commitment to establish a state-designated Cultural District. Download resolution template.
• Cultural District Partnership Agreement that defines roles and responsibilities of the partnership members. See sample partnership agreement.
• Map. Please provide a link of the GIS map of the proposed Cultural District or a map that shows the general footprint using shading or a dotted line with the assets identified in a spreadsheet. The spreadsheet template can be downloaded from the application. (Be sure to note Cultural District partners located outside of the proposed District.)
• Third-Party Agreement (if relevant):
  • If the city or town has made a third-party arrangement for the oversight and management of the Cultural District, there must be a written agreement in place. This should be in line with municipal regulations and reviewed by the city or town’s legal counsel. The agreement should outline each party’s tasks and duties.
  • If the city or town has made a third-party arrangement for the oversight and management of the Cultural District, the third-party agreement will be uploaded.

OPTIONAL DOCUMENTS
Please include any additional documentation you think is relevant to determining the scope of your proposed District (e.g., zoning overlays, feasibility studies, vision planning results, municipal ordinances, etc.)

Ongoing Designation Requirements

Annual Report: An annual report is required each year of the designated period. This report will be completed within our online grants management system and will provide an opportunity for Districts to summarize their recent work. Report deadlines align with Mass Cultural Council’s fiscal year (July 1 – June 30).

Data Collection: Designated Cultural Districts must gather baseline data each year of the designation to the best of their ability that measures the impact of the District. Examples may include: aggregate sales tax in the District, number of full-time jobs, number of artists, box office sales, consumer surveys, and results of community input and/or public feedback.

Signage: The city or town must participate in the state’s Cultural Districts signage program requiring the hosting of four Mass Cultural Council branded signs. Associated costs are TBD.

Access Commitment: Districts will be expected to take part in learning opportunities annually with a focus on promoting access, equity, diversity, and inclusion.

Timeline

Application Opens: July 7, 2026
Information Session: July 14, 2026
Application Deadline: February 8, 2027
Site Visits: April/May 2027
Applicant Notification: September 2027
Annual Report Deadline: July 2028

Grants Management System

All applicants should submit their applications through the grants management system. After you log in, the application is located under “Current Funding Opportunities”. If you have not applied to Mass Cultural Council before on behalf of your organization and/or do not already have a user profile, you must register in the grants management system. Please note, only Municipal entities can see and apply for Cultural District Designation, in the application municipalities can invite a co-applicant.

• Go to the grants management system and click “Register”.
• On the next page select “Organization”.
• Your organization may already exist in our system. Use the “Organization Name” search to find it. If you cannot find your organization in the list, you must register your organization in our system.
• After completing the registration, you should receive an email from “[email protected]” to activate your account.
• Please activate your account within 48 hours.

If you have previously applied for a Mass Cultural Council grant using your email address, you may have a profile in the system already. Here’s how you can check:

• Go to the online system and click “Forgot Password”.
• Once you submit your email address, you will receive an email from “[email protected]” with a link to reset your password. The link is active for 48 hours.
• If you do not receive an email, you do not have an account and you should create one using the instructions above.

Contact grants help desk if you have questions about your account.

Proceed to the Online Application